By hook or by...: PESCO legalises ‘kunda’ connections in PK-6 for two months

The agreement, brokered by Fazle Elahi will hold till meters are installed.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) has temporarily legalised kunda connections in PK-6 after reaching an agreement with the constituency’s MPA, Fazle Elahi. According to this agreement, consumers using the 11kv Bara feeder will pay Rs700 per kunda per month until regulated electricity connections are installed.

The document addressed to the Pesco chief executive (operations) has the signature of the Pesco Khyber Circle superintendent (operations). Copies of the agreement, available with The Express Tribune, were distributed by Elahi at the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Assembly premises among journalists.

Prior to the public announcement, Pesco officials met Elahi and elders of PK-6 on Thursday at the superintendent’s office. Both sides agreed on a number of points.

According to the agreement, till the power company provides meters and connections, Rs700 per month will be paid by the consumers from the constituency. This concession has been made keeping in view the level of poverty. During the period of January and February Rs2,230,895 were paid by said consumers.

“The same policy may be applied to other direct connections on other 11kv feeders within the jurisdiction of Khyber Division,” added the agreement. Power was restored to PK-6 on Thursday; the constituency includes areas such as Hazara Khwani, Sarband, Pishtakhara, Achini Bala and Bahadar Kalay. As part of the agreement, local elders and Elhai also requested for a break in power outages.

Similarly, they asked for the bifurcation of overloaded feeders and an increase in the capacity of overloaded transformers. The MPA and his jirga also offered their cooperation in the removal of kundas.

According to the document and Pesco spokesperson Shaukat Afzal, all agreed that strategies must be concluded in two months.

“This is a temporary agreement aimed to convince people to install meters. And we will benefit with these terms as earlier electricity thieves were not paying bills but now they have agreed to pay Rs700 per month.”  Consumers will be provided meters within 15 days after undergoing the necessary procedure, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2014.